Power operated shears



Nov. 8, 1955 F. J. FINK POWER OPERATED SHEARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1951 M a. v

INVENTOR. F/PANK J. F/NK fi4q rdaqw A "Wil a WII ll'" II I 15 1 Nov. 8, 1955 F. J. FINK POWER OPERATED SHEARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1951 INVENTOR. FRANK J. F/NK Nov. 8, 1955 F. J. FINK 2,722,984

POWER OPERATED SHEAR-S Filed Nov. 13, 1951' 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 LA FE- 5 IN V EN TOR. FQA NK J F/NK F. J. FINK POWER OPERATED SHEARS Nov. 8, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet. 4

Filed Nov. 13 1951 INVENTOR. FPA NK ,1. F/NK 2,722,984 Patented Nov. 8, 1955 flies POWER OPERATED SHEARS Frank J. Fink, Chardon, Ohio Application November 13, 1951, Serial No. 255,899

Claims. (Cl. 164-60) My invention is an improvement in power operated shears and more particularly refers to mechanisms of this kind which are particularly adapted for use in connection with the severing of axially-moving elongated articles into sections, as for instance, the cutting into slices or lengths plastic, rubber, fibrous or similar material in strip, bar, rod or tubular form.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide power-operated shears of this type having complementary cutting blades connected with a source of power to revolve the blades in opposite directions on a common axis whereby a piece passing axially through the path of the blades may be severed transversely without the necessity of the blades moving in the direction of the piece.

Another object of the invention resides in an apparatus of this type in which the blades are actuated rapidly progressively to pick up the moving piece, sever it transversely and then pass and remain out of the path of movement of the piece to permit the piece to move axially to a position for the next severing operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide powerdriven blades revolving about a common axis and in opposite directions, together with the provision of means whereby the blades may be brought to rest in a position out of the path of movement of a piece to be severed.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means of the character described whereby an elongated piece may be severed transversely while said piece is in axial motion, said severing operation being performed instantaneously.

Another object is to move the blades at high velocity in performing a shearing action on a moving piece to be severed, the velocity being of an order sufficient to counte'ract or neutralize the inertia of the piece.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel means for locking the blades against rotation but releasable to instantaneously actuate said blades to perform a shearing operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus of the type described which will perform a clean shearing operation on an article to be cut.

A further object of the invention is the ability to vary the rate of movement of the blades and thereby to vary the length or thickness of the severed pieces, whereby the blades may be actuated to even slice a length of material passing across the path of the blades.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of an apparatus of the type described which is characterized by compactness, simplicity of construction and simplicity of operation.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become more apparent as the following description of an embodiment thereof progresses, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which like reference charthe same.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 2. is a rear elevation of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 2 but shows some of the casing broken away.

Figure 5 is a section slightly enlarged taken in the direction of line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the device.

Figure 7 is a front elevation of the cutter head showing the blades in position to pick up a piece passing axially therebetween, and

Figure 8 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 7 and shows the blades in shearing relation to the piece and illustrates how the piece is picked up from its support to be sheared by the blades.

This invention, although capable of other uses, is particularly adapted for use in transversely severing axiallymoving strip, tube, rod and bar stock, such as rubber,- plastic, fibrous and the like in which the material possesses flexible and/or resilient characteristics.

in carrying out 'my invention, I have provided an apparatns which comprises essentially a cutter head and a means associated therewith for actuating the blades within the cutter head to rotate them in opposite directions in shearing relation through a single revolution or by a succession of revolutions by power means, the piece to be severed moving axially across the path of said blades.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings includes a cutter head carried by a housing 1 and a second housing 2 for supporting the apparatus and for housing the drive and release mechanism and mechanism for imparting rotation to a drive shaft having connection with the source of power.

In the housing 1 is rotatably mounted a driven shaft 3, the shaft being mounted in suitable bearings and extending through the housing as shown more clearly in Figure 3. This shaft is mounted in bearings 4 and 5 near its ends and carries a beveled gear 6 keyed at 6 to the shaft near its rear end, said gear having driving connection with a bevel gear '7 which is keyed to the drive shaft 8 as at 9.

Also carried on the driven shaft are the sleeves 10 and 11 on which is rotatably supported a bevel gear 12 also. having its teeth in mesh with the bevel gear 7 carried by the drive shaft 8. A bearing sleeve 13 is provided between the adjacent portion of the casing 1 and the hub of the gear 12 which extends forwardly along the shaft 3. The blade or knife 14 is mounted on the forward end of the hub of the gear 12 to rotate therewith Within the blade housing 15 while the blade or knife 16 is connected to the driven shaft 3 to be driven thereby when power is applied to the shaft 8, the blades 14 and 16 being substantially L shaped to provide a foot portion F and a toe portion T in facing relation on the respective blades so that when the blades are rotated in opposite directions through the drive, the cutting edges 17 may perform a shearing operation at high velocity on an object in the path of those blades as their cutting edges come together beginning in the vicinity of the blade toe With a lifting of the workpiece from its support.

It will be observed from an inspection of Figures 6, 7 and 8 that as the piece '70 moves axially along a support S across the path of the oppositely rotatable blades 14 and 16 as in Fig. 6, and as the blades approach each other and the piece, the piece will be first engaged on opposite sides of a vertical axis by the toe portion T of the blades and then lifted from the support S to'the position shown in Fig. 7. in this position the angularly disposed cutting edges of each respective blade first embrace opposite sides of the piece and then pass progressively into the piece as the blades continue rotational movement as in Fig. 8. As the blades continue such rotation, the cutting edges of the blades will completely sever the piece.

It will be understood that in accordance with my invention and as explained hereinafter that the blades pass through the piece at high velocities while the axially moving piece is lifted from its support and, by virtue of the action of the blades under such circumstances, the piece is severed transversely without producing distorted sections of the piece. It is believed that this important advantageous result flows from the ability of the blades while rotating at high velocity to pick up, embrace the piece at multiple points around its periphery and sever the piece without disturbing the inertia of the piece.

The housing 1 is provided with an opening 18 which is, in turn, provided with a cover plate 19 bolted to the housing as at 20 for purposes of access to the gear box for cleaning and repair. The gear box, of course, is provided with the proper lubricant for the gears contained therein and for the shafts operating therein. The blade housing 15 is cut away in a radial direction inwardly from its periphery as at 21 to provide an opening through which the article to be severed may pass axially. There is also provided a cover 22 for the forward end of the blade housing, this cover being hinged to the housing as at 23. The cover likewise is provided with a radially inwardly extending opening registering with the opening 21 of the housing to permit passage therethrough of the article or piece to be severed. The knife or blade housing 15 is secured to the housing 1 by bolts 24 and the entire assembly is secured to the housing 2 by means of bolts 25 passing through the annular boss 26 carried by the hub 27 of the housing 1. A lubricating fitting 28 is provided in the hub 27 so that lubricant can be admitted to the drive shaft bearings 29 and 30.

The entire assembly can be mounted as a unit and in a suitable manner for adjustment vertically and transversely of the work piece. One form of mounting the unit is illustrated in the drawings and as shown, this comprises a provision of cylinders 31 and 32 formed integral with the casting comprising the housing 2, the axes of said cylindrical portions being disposed vertically and being provided to slidably receive the supporting rods 33 upon which the entire unit is adjustably mounted in a vertical direction. Set screws 34 are provided to lock the unit on the rods in the desired adjusted position.

While I have not shown a support whereby the unit may be moved transversely of the work piece, the upright rods 33 may be carried in a member which can be so adjusted with respect to the work piece whereby the whole unit and the rods may be so moved and adjusted.

The housing 2 is preferably a casting and is provided with a wall 35 disposed horizontally upon which is carried an electro-responsive device such as a solenoid 36. The housing 2 is also provided with horizontal walls 37 and a vertical wall 38.

The driven shaft 8 extends rearwardly through the housing 2 and axially through a conventional clutch indicated generally at 39 and through a combination fiy wheel and pulley 40. The clutch 39 illustrated in the drawing is a single revolution type clutch which comprises eccentric ring members, one of which is driven and the other spaced therefrom, there being a plurality of rollers between the members to be engaged thereby and to transmit power from the driven clutch member to the other member and thence to the shaft 8. The fly wheel pulley 40 is provided with peripheral grooves to receive a driving belt 41 which, of course is connected to a prime mover (not shown). The fly wheel 40 is keyed at 42 to a sleeve 43 which drives one of the clutch ring members and 21 which operates over a bearing sleeve 44 carried by the shaft 8. i

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the shaft 8 is keyed to the clutch member 45 as at 46. The cam 47 has a driving connection with the inner clutch ring and is rotatable thereby in a counterclockwise direction as in Figure 5, the cam being provided with a land 48 at the end of its high point for engagement with the toe 49 of the lever or dog 50.

A reversely-disposed cam 51 is connected to the shaft 8 at 46 and is provided with a face or land 52 engageable by the dog 53 which is pivotally carried at 54 in the casing 2. A spring-pressed plunger 55 is mounted in the casing and projects into the path of the dog as the latter rides over the surface of the cam 51, exerting a pressure against the dog to maintain it in contact with the cam 51 as the cam is rotated. As shown in Figure 5, this dog will act as a stop against clockwise rotation of the cam 51, when the land 52 is engaged by the dog.

The earns 51 and 47 are both relatively rotatable in the same direction, and as is customary in this type of clutch, one of the cams, preferably cam 51, is spring loaded. The dog 53 serves to prevent rotation of the cam 51 and the shaft 8 in a reverse direction.

In order that cam 47 may be releasably locked against rotation, I provided a lever or dog 50, pivotally mounted at 56 in the casing 2 and which is provided with a toe 48 and a heel portion 57.

An adjustable spring-pressed plunger 58 is mounted in the casing 2 and projects into contact with the lever arm 50 to normally urge the toe portion into the position shown in Figure 5 to lock the cam 47 against rotation in the direction of the arrow.

In order that the lever arm 50 may be rotated in a clockwise direction about the pivot 56 and against the compression of the spring-pressed plunger 58, I have provided an electro-responsive device, preferably in the form of a solenoid 36 which can be mounted on the casing 2 as shown in Figure 5 and which is provided with the usual solenoid plunger or armature 59. A link 60 is pivotally connected at one end to the free end of the plunger and extends downwardly through the casing and has pivotal connection at its other end with an arm 61. The arm 61 is mounted on a stub shaft 62 carried in a bearing bracket 63 formed in the housing 2, the shaft extending inwardly above the housing and carrying on its inner end a ratchet wheel 64 which has a plurality of teeth around its periphery and which is adapted to engage the heel portion 57 of the lever 50 as shown more particularly in Figure 5. It will be noted that as the solenoid is actuated to withdraw the plunger 59 upwardly, that this motion will be transmitted through the link .60 and the arm 61 to the ratchet wheel to turn it in a counterclockwise direction in Figure 3, thus causing the ratchet tooth which is in engagement with the heel of the lever 50 to move the lever in a counter-clockwise direction about the pivot 56, thus releasing the toe 48 from contact with the land of the cam 47 and withdrawing the toe from the path of movement of the cam so that the cam and clutch element to which it is connected will be free to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction in Figure 5. Of course, as the ratchet tooth which is in engagement with the heel of the lever 50 passes the high point of the heel, the springurged plunger 58 will exert its pressure to thrust the lever 50 in a counter-clockwise direction so that the toe 58 will again be in the path of the high point of the cam 47, thus stopping the movement of this cam and limiting it to a single rotation.

As the cam 47 revolves in the direction of the arrow, the spring load on the cam 51 is released and this cam moves with the cam 48 in the same direction, the dog 53 riding over the surface of the cam and being caused to assume the position shown, thus preventing back travel of the shaft 8 between shearing operations.

In order that the ratchet Wheel 64 may be moved only the distance between teeth for each movement, I have provided an internal ratchet and dog mechanism as indicated in Figure 5.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that through the clutch and ratchet and cam mechanisms, the shaft 5 may be made to rotate through a single revolution at a time, thus driving the shear blades in opposite directions for a complete revolution to shear a Work piece passing longitudinally between the blades.

Inasmuch as the movement of the blades 14 and 16 is rapid, the shearing action is complete and effective even though the Work piece is moving axially between the blades.

It Will be obvious from the above that the apparatus may be employed to slice elongated work pieces passing between the blades by maintaining the arm 50 and its toe 48 out of the path of movement of the rotating cam 47. Under such conditions, the shaft 3 Will be rotated continuously and, of course, the blades 14 and 16 driven thereby will revolve continuously in opposite directions, and since the work piece is travelling axially between the blades, the thickness of the slice may be determined by its rate of movement therethrough. On the other hand, the thickness of the slice may be determined also by the rate at which the shaft 8 is revolved.

Figures 6, 7, and 8 illustrate the several positions of the blades during one rotation thereof in opposite directions. In Figure 6 the work piece 70 is shown in position in which it is capable of moving axially through the opening 21 in the blade housing up an a support such as a belt or the like. It is to be noted from this figure that the work piece 70 is supported at a point which is below the arc defined by the outer edges of the blades 14 and 16 and that as the blades rotate in opposite directions toward each other, their shearing edges in the vicinity of the points of the blades will first engage the outer wall of the work piece 70 and such engagement will cause the work piece to be lifted momentarily from its support as shown more clearly in Figure 7. The blades continue to move in opposite directions as indicated in this figure and as they doso more and more of their shearing edges are brought into contact with the work piece and from points above and below the work piece proceed to pass through the same as the blades approach a position as indicated in Figure 8. The shearing action is complete as the blades finally approach each other in rotative movement and overlap and then proceed to complete their revolution in the blade housing and return to a point such as is indicated in Figure 6.

It will be borne in mind that the shearing action is instantaneous, the blades being driven at high velocity of an order sufficient to counteract the inertia of the work piece in all its parts. The combination of the speed of the cutters and the inertia of the work piece is responsible for producing a clean cut without distortion even to intricate and delicate cross-sections.

Thus, a clean severance of the moving article into lengths or slices as the case may be is insured.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A shearing apparatus for cutting a workpiece moving longitudinally along a support, said apparatus comprising a drive shaft, coaxial shafts driven by said drive shaft, 21 blade on each driven shaft, said blades disposed in shearing relation to each other when said driven shafts are rotated in opposite directions, said blades each being substantially L-shaped and having cutting edges disposed along the substantially concave edges of the blade, each blade having a toe portion adapted to engage the longitudinally moving piece above the support and to lift the piece from its support into the path of the cutting edges of the blades to be severed thereby as the blades pass along a cycle of rotation, and means intermediate the drive and driven shafts to impart rotation to the blades in opposite directions when the drive shaft is actuated.

2. A shearing apparatus for cutting a workpiece moving lon itudinally along a support, said apparatus comprising a drive shaft, coaxial shafts driven by said drive shaft, a blade on each driven shaft and disposed in shearing relation to each other when said driven shafts are rotated in opposite directions, the longest radius of said rotating passing close to but not intersecting the plane of the piece support, said blades each being substantially L-shaped and having cutting edges disposed along the substantially concave edges of the blade, each blade havin a toe portion adapted to engage the longitudinally rnovingpiece above the support and to lift the piece from its support into the path of the cutting edges of the blades to be severed thereby as the blades pass along a cycle of rotation, and means intermediate the drive and driven shafts to impart rotation to the blades in opposite directions when the drive shaft is actuated.

3. in apparatus for transversely shearing lengths of deformable material such as rubber, plastic or fibrous n'iaterial moving longitudinally along a support without deforming either the piece or the section severed therefrom, said apparatus comprising a pair of substantially Lshuped blades rotatable in opposite directions about a common axis, means for rotating said blades in opposite directions, said blades having opposed cutting edges along their respective facing edges, the cutting edges of each blade defining a cutting crotch in each blade terminating in a toe portion tangent to said support for engaging the piece and lifting said piece from its support and into the path of the opposed cutting edges to be severed thereby.

4. A shearing apparatus for cutting a workpiece moving longitudinally along a support, said apparatus comprising a drive shaft, coaxial shafts driven by said drive shaft, 2. blade on each driven shaft and disposed in shearing relation to each other when said driven shafts are rotated in opposite directions, the longest radius of said rotating blades being substantially tangent to the top of the support, at least one of said blades being substantially L-shaped and having cutting edges disposed along the blade edge facing said other blade, each blade having a toe portion at the outer extremity of its longest radius, said toe portion cooperating to engage the under surface of the longitudinally moving piece adjacent the support to lift the piece from the support to be embraced by and severed by the said opposed cutting edges.

5. In an apparatus for transversely shearing lengths of deformable material such as rubber, plastic or fibrous material moving longitudinally along a support without deforming the cross section of the material, said apparatus comprising a pair of flat substantially L-shaped blades rotatable in opposite directions on a common axis, means for rotating said blades in opposite directions, said blades having opposed cutting edges along their respective facing edges, the cutting edges of each blade defining a cutting crotch in each blade terminating at one end in a toe portion disposed substantially tangent to said support for first engaging the length of material and lifting the same from its support and then disposing the length into the path of the opposed cutting edges to be embraced and severed thereby during the cycle of rotation of the blades.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 119,181 Roberts Sept. 19, 1871 713,333 McDaniels Nov. 11, 1902 825,942 Smurr et al. July 17, 1906 1,414,239 Warren Apr. 25, 1922 1,953,196 Smith Apr. 3, 1934 1,986,699 Winterkamp Jan. 1, 1935 2,082,833 Haupt June 8, 1937 2,309,343 Farrow Ian. 26. 1943 

